Have an Idea for a Running-Related Side Hustle?

Susan Clayton had a problem: She felt cold anytime temperatures dipped below 50, and standard runners’ gloves and mittens felt inadequate. When she saw her friend wearing socks on his arms to keep his fingers warm, she thought, I can do better.

Kerry Loehr of Portland, Oregon, uttered the same phrase—I can do better—after running a race that had what he calls a “sub-optimal user experience,” including a course that was too crowded, causing runners to back up behind each other.

While many athletes entertain the thought of launching their own running-related business, these two followed through. Clayton, 55, who is a hair salon owner in Baltimore, invented and patented WhitePaws RunMitts, mittens that keep fingers and thumbs together so hands stay toasty. On extra cold days, runners can use the built-in pocket to stash a hand warmer; if they get too warm, they can roll back the top for ventilation.

Loehr, 45, dabbled in race production by launching a free, one-day relay on the Columbia River Gorge trail in 2013. Now, he and his wife, Traci Manning, 48, are both full-time race directors for the Gorgeous Series, six events including the Bend Marathon and Half as well as the original Gorgeous Relay.

Susan Clayton, a hair salon owner in Baltimore, founded White Paws mittens (named after her dog, Daisy) as a way to help keep runners warm.

They might be unusual in leaping full-time into entrepreneurship. But even if you don’t intend to leave your day job, starting a small business in your spare time—especially one that relates to your favorite form of recreation—can bring you economic freedom and personal satisfaction, says Chris Guillebeau, author of Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days and host of the daily Side Hustle School podcast.

Loehr, a lifelong runner, agrees, saying he’d previously felt hamstrung and confined to a single, narrow lane in his corporate role. “When you start your own business, it throws you into the deep end, and you have to figure out a way to use your entire skill set to make it successful,” he says. For him, a gig related to his passion makes each achievement all the sweeter.

Runners have some advantages when it comes to side hustling, says Guillebeau, who runs regularly and has finished five marathons. People who carve time out of busy lives for training tend to be motivated and goal-oriented. They’re used to doing things that are unpleasant in the moment—here’s looking at you, 4 a.m. alarm—for a greater payoff later on.

“They understand running is important and it’s not just a matter of trying to cram one more thing in. Instead it’s, ‘If I can take the time to do this, it’s actually going to help me throughout the rest of my life,’” he says. “The same is true of starting the right kind of side hustle. Nobody has time, but if you find a way to do it, it’s going to give you more options for the future.”

Guillebeau’s book offers a complete, step-by-step guide to starting a side business in less than a month. Here, a few top tips from him, Clayton, and Loehr to get yours past the starting line.

Find and vet your idea. Pain points you face while running, like gear that never works right or a race-day disaster, often make a good starting point. But don’t skip the critical second step: Clearly defining the service or product you’ll offer to solve it. “You have to be able to say from the second sentence: ‘Here’s what people are going to pay for, and they’re going to get this in return,’” Guillebeau says.

Emphasize your authenticity. Knowing your market of fellow runners offers an advantage in developing ideas. Where it really pays off, though, is in the connections you make with customers, Guillebeau says. Sharing your personal tale—“I’m a runner too, I faced these challenges and solved them, and here’s why my product can help you, too”—builds trust and reliability that increase the odds of a purchase.

Launch—before you feel ready. Do some basic calculations on projected income, expenses, and profit. But don’t assume you need the perfect business plan or every answer before you begin. “If you just start and then you learn along the way, you can adapt,” Loehr says. One way he and Manning, who quit her job and joined the business in 2015, have done this was by launching each new race as a free (but invite-only) event the first year. That way, they got feedback from real runners on the course and also instilled loyalty with the brand.

Track and refine. You don’t need complicated metrics like a big company, Guillebeau points out. Once you’re rolling, keep a training log of sorts with key stats like your profit, growth, and how much time you spend. Fine-tune by doing less of what doesn’t seem effective and more of what works. Clayton, for instance, thought she’d struck gold when she snagged a booth at the Baltimore Running Festival expo last year—but sales proved lackluster. For now, she realizes, she does better at smaller events.

And while you want to be profitable, money isn’t the only measure of success, Guillebeau says. Note your emotions, too. Some runners may find turning the sport into a business actually diminishes their enjoyment of it. If that’s the case, a hustle that’s less directly associated but still capitalizes on your focus and discipline might be a better fit.

Clayton admits her running has suffered a bit since she launched WhitePaws RunMitts. If she sells at an expo, she’s often too exhausted to do the race the next day. But in addition to the new runners she’s met and the cash she’s made, she says, encountering customers grateful she’s solved their cold-hands problem warms her heart and makes her efforts feel worthwhile.

Cindy KuzmaContributing WriterCindy is a freelance health and fitness writer, author, and podcaster who’s contributed regularly to Runner’s World since 2013.

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Runner's World participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.